The Lifelong Impact Of Secondhand Smoke Exposure In The Womb
Newborns of non-smoking moms exposed to secondhand smoke during pregnancy have genetic mutations that may affect long-term health, according to a University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health study published online in the Open Pediatric Medicine Journal. The abnormalities, which were indistinguishable from those found in newborns of mothers who were active smokers, may affect survival, birth weight and lifelong susceptibility to diseases like cancer.
The study confirms previous research in which study author Stephen G. Grant, Ph.D., associate professor of environmental and occupational health at Pitt’s Graduate School of Public Health, discovered evidence of abnormalities in the HPRT gene located on the X chromosome in cord blood from newborns of non-smokers exposed to environmental tobacco smoke. Read more
“Vaccine” For Advanced Prostate Cancer Wins FDA Approval
Filed under: Cancer / Oncology, Immune System / Vaccines, Prostate / Prostate Cancer, Regulatory Affairs / Drug Approvals
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Thursday approved a new therapy for certain men with advanced prostate cancer that uses their own immune system to fight the disease; although described as a “vaccine” the new therapy, called Provenge, treats rather than prevents prostate cancer.
In a statement the manufacturer, Seattle-based Dendreon Corp, described Provenge (sipuleucel-T) as the first therapy in a class known as “autologous cellular immunotherapies”, marking a significant step in personalized treatment for cancer.
According to Dendreon, Provenge is designed to treat:
“… asymptomatic or minimally symptomatic metastatic, castrate-resistant (hormone-refractory) prostate cancer (CRPC).”
Dr Karen Midthun, acting director of the federal agency’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, explained that Provenge offered:
“A new treatment option for men with advanced prostate cancer, who currently have limited effective therapies available.”
In the US, prostate cancer is the second most common cancer in men, after skin cancer, and mostly affects older men.
According to figures from the National Cancer Institute, last year in the US there were some 192,000 new cases of prostate cancer and 27,000 deaths to the disease. Read more